Twitter, Last.fm & Facebook on 360

Apparently I made it into the first wave in the update preview program on XBox Live. Thank you Microsoft, it's pretty sweet to have the opportunity to play with these new toys on the 360 a bit earlier than most. I've seen a lot of unneeded hate on various boards when it comes to this update. If you don't want it, don't use it. I have certainly noticed the new apps are quite unobtrusive and will in no way hamper your console experience. Now on to breaking down what I would consider the biggest features in this nifty little package.

Twitter

I dig it even though I don't really see myself using it a whole lot in the future. Not that I don't use Twitter, I just finding typing too much with a controller a bit cumbersome. However I think it will be very useful for the occasional shout out to find a fourth for some firefight. It also makes links useless, but with the 360 not having a web browser at all, that really shouldn't surprise anyone. It won't make me get rid of TweetDeck anytime soon, but still does as advertised and that's all I really expected of this one.

Facebook

It's a bit on the sluggish side, especially when going through a photo album. But overall I think the interface on it is more pleasant than Facebook itself. Not to take anything away from Facebook, it just seems a bit cleaner. I can see myself using this a bit more than I initially expected to. Also the ability to find Live friends on Facebook and vice-versa is quite handy and could help to flush out a fledgling friends list. I would also think it will get a bit smoother as future updates and tweaks are applied. I have no basis for that, but I wouldn't doubt that possibility in the slightest.

Last.fm

Personally I believe this to be the killer app in the update. I have used last.fm for quite some time on the PC, but damn is the interface really streamlined here. I even find myself marking tracks as loved where I rarely bothered to before. I really can't stress enough how good this is.

Zune Marketplace

I really haven't dove into this very deeply at all, though I'm looking forward to some streaming 1080p tomorrow. I'll check it out a bit later and hit you with some impressions afterwords.

Update: So after playing around with Zune Marketplace, I'm impressed. For one, it sure makes finding old content you have downloaded long ago and since deleted a cinch. The streaming quality surpasses Netflix in my opinion, and the ability to purchase as well as rent movies in 1080p is phenomenal. I think that Microsoft has done very well here. Anyone who complains about paying for a Live account now, you are certainly short sighted. If you think they could keep up this level of Dashboard innovation for free, you are sorely mistaken and certainly not a business major.


So far I'm fairly impressed. Having used all of these services on PC for a while, I think Microsoft has made these relevant on 360. They don't feel too gimmicky and fit in quite well. Twitter and Facebook can even serve gaming related purposes. In the cases of last.fm and the new video streaming on Zune marketplace, I think they have hit a sweet spot in the digital content delivery that they have really been striving for from the beginning.

The Potential Future of Digital Distribution

Recently at UC Berkeley's PLAY conference, Peter Moore, Kai Huang and Neil Young (not the singer, he's an iPhone game developer) discussed the future of digital distribution and it's place in gaming. They pretty much came to the consensus that retail boxed games will be a thing of the past in the next five to ten years. While I agree that digital distribution is inevitable, I don't agree with their time frame.

I have on several occasions downloaded titles that could just as easily have been purchased at retail. My most recent purchase was Battlefield: Bad Company. I chose the digital distribution route due to the fact it was convenient, and not having a boxed copy wasn't a must for me. That pretty much sums up how I see downloadable games at this point in time, convenience. It's nice to be able to download something on a whim at 2:00 in the morning, but with a game like Forza 3, I want the collector's edition in a retail box. I genuinely believe there are many like me at this point and were not going away anytime soon.

The average age of gamers at this point in time, depending on which outlet's research you believe, is somewhere between 25-30 years old. We have been buying retail copies of software forever, and are the largest demographic in gaming. There will be a small minority that is willing to forgo a case and manual, but an overwhelming majority that will not in my opinion. It will take the younger generation, who will have grown up with downloadable entertainment be it music, movies or games, to become adults spending their own money to fully embrace this as the primary option.

Ten years from now I will be 41 years old. I would predict at that time, I will still be a gamer. It's a platform for entertainment I grew up with as many in my age group did, and just like movies and television for our elders their enjoyment doesn't just go away. I would also like to be able to take a trip to a retailer, to pick up a title in a box, and have the satisfaction of opening it as I would assume many others still will. Digital distribution could potentially alienate a large chunk of the market.

Another thing to keep in mind in the equation is the retailers. They aren't going to want to give up the revenue that the physical media generates anytime soon. Microsoft for example with their Games on Demand service, really only offers older titles. That decision was primarily to combat the large market of used titles, and not to piss off big box retailers by cutting into big software titles sales. As easily as music is and has been available via iTunes and the like, CD's have not gone away. Yes CD sales are lower than they used to be fifteen years ago, but they still remain on retailer shelves as a viable option for consumption. In fact CD's are still preferable for many consumers.

Due to the size of the average major game release, digital distribution is still a relatively new option when compared to music. Also with bandwidth capping by many ISP's, this step to a fully digital solution to software purchasing is not practical. Comcast for instance has instituted a 250GB monthly cap. Between surfing the web, streaming Netflix and Hulu, and even downloading a few albums a month, adding what could potentially amount to 8-15GB per game in the near future, you could hit that cap with ease.

I just don't think between the infrastructure that is available at this point in time, alongside the desire for physical media by consumers like myself, drive trays aren't going the way of the Dodo anytime soon.

I apologize if this is a bit of incoherent babble, but it's almost 4am and I think I'm going to hit the sack now.

Halo 3 Multiplayer & More

So to say I arrived at the party a wee bit late would be a gross understatement. Being a very PC centric ugly bag of mostly water (If you are a Trekker you'll get it, if not, what the hell are you doing here?), I had always dismissed Halo 3 multiplayer as a baby game. In some respects when compared to the likes of Counterstrike or the once thriving Quake III community, it easily could be considered such. However Halo 3 seems to have that something special like the aforementioned Counterstrike, a community that just won't die. This is with good reason.

It may not have the slow, tactical nerve-wracking pace of Ghost Recon. Or the wonderful mission set-up like a good old-school Rainbow Six game. But it does deliver an abundance of frenetic fun at a breakneck pace. Not to mention a plethora of game types that keeps it from getting too stale too quick, as so many shooters these days do. The matchmaking in it is probably the trump card though. Within seconds of putting the disc in, I can be in the middle of a hail of gunfire with minimal effort. There are no servers to worry about(none that you can see anyway), and always an abundance of players at all skill levels. At 1am PST, there were nearly 200,000 players online. This is 2 years after release.

That's just one other thing that makes this game so great. The player ranking system does a pretty damn good job of matching you up with players of similar skill. But I could blabber endlessly about this little gem of a game, and that's not really what I wanted to bring to the table this evening... er... morning as it were.

It's that time of year again. Yes that unspeakable retail mess that begins as soon as your done chowing down a dead bird, potentially some dead pig and almost certainly a few dead vegetables. That's right vegan ass clowns, vegetables are alive too so don't give me any of that "you're an animal killer" shit. Fuck you, you're a goddamn vegetable killer. Anyway, enough with that rant or I'll be here all night. Yes kids, the holiday season is upon us. Of course, according to Home Depot, it's been here since August. Seriously, who buys freaking Xmas decorations in August? And with this season comes a glut of titles for gamers to enjoy, or cringe at the thought of. Astro Boy anyone? Didn't think so.

I figured I would lay out a few upcoming (or potentially out already, but destined to be on someone's wish list.) bright spots on each platform, for that ass.

PC

Windows 7
I know it's not technically a game, but if you want to keep gaming in the future, you're going to need it. Also, it comes with Solitaire, and that's a mouse training tool... I mean game. *Cough, DirectX 11, Cough*


Dragon Age: Origins
It's the spiritual successor to the Baldurs Gate franchise. Due to my previous sentence, it shouldn't be allowed on any other platform and I refuse to acknowledge any other release. Bioware. RPG. PC. It's like the good parts of the 90's all over again. Buy it. I don't even have to play it to tell you that in good conscience.

Left 4 Dead 2
Don't ask me why, but I hate Valve games. Nor do I think zombies are 'cool'. But I'm sure this will be on little Timmy's Xmas list, so I suppose it should at least get a mention. Again though, I know it's multi-platform, but really, where else should a Valve game be played?

XBOX 360

Halo 3: ODST
If your a Halo freak, you probably already have this, due to the fact the maps that come with it are now a requirement for competitive multiplayer. Though I'm sure after the holidays, there will be many, many more sqeaky voiced eight year-olds to kill than there already are at this point.

Forza Motorsport 3
Certainly the one game I'm more anxious for than any other. The best physics engine in racing sims just got a whole hell of a lot better. Also, don't let the fact it's a sim scare you off, it is very friendly for newcomers with the robust assist system.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Half of this has been available as DLC for the 360 for a good long while. If you dig GTA IV, and who doesn't, than you will want this. It combines The Lost and Damned DLC (think Sons of Anarchy the game) with The Ballad of Gay Tony DLC, all in one shiny *ahem* package. Microsoft didn't give Rockstar $5 million bones for nothing to keep it exclusive.

PS3

God of War PS2 Blu-Ray collection
So I understand this company called Sony has a system also. I have also heard this God of War is a good franchise. I couldn't tell you one way or the other. But they are releasing old games for their newest (not portable) system. Big holiday release huh?

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Again, this is supposedly a big deal. I hear it's like Tomb Raider, but better. Solid poop is better than liquid poop, but it's still poop. Yeah, I don't care for Tomb Raider either.

Wii

Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Punchout.


Multi-platform

Brutal Legend
Tim Schafer's new game. He also brought you the likes of The Seceret of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle and Psychonauts. Oh sure, now I have your attention. It looks like an action game, and really, it starts that way, but it turns into a quasi RTS. Also, quite possibly the best game soundtrack ever.

Assassin's Creed 2
I dug the first one even though it was admittedly repetitive. This one is supposedly not as repetitive. That can only be better. Also, water will no longer be instant death. Thank god for swimming lessons.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Like, it's only like the biggest like game of the year. Yeah, I hate valley girl speak too, but I couldn't help it.

Fallout 3: GOTY
Oblivion meets guns and a color palette consiting of gray, grayer and grayest. One of my all-time favorite RPG's. This one comes with all the DLC that I payed an extra $10 a pop for because I'm impatient. So essentially what I ended up paying $110 for, you can get for $60. Dooo eeeeet!

DJ Hero
Some jackass somewhere will want this. I don't. I already have enough plastic peripheral shit cluttering up my gaming area, I don't need more.


Be forewarned, this is just the tip of the iceberg and only what I consider the highlights. The only gift giving advice I can give to a non-gamer shopping for a gamer is as follows: Don't, under any circumstances, get a gamer something they didn't ask for. You may think that Astro Boy case looks cool now, but when it comes hurling at your head at 98mph, don't say I didn't warn you.

P.S. There is a ton of stuff that got pushed back into early 2010. So don't go wasting all of your money.

Is Nvidia Effectively Dead?

A bit earlier today I found this story. Obviously being on a site called "Semi Accurate" I'm a little hesitant to believe it outright, but I think many of us PC gamers have seen this coming. In the interest of full disclosure, I am running Nvidia chips in both my boxes. I have felt they put out a descent product ever since I picked up a GeForce 256. That was my 3DFX Voodoo 3 replacement, and it was a beast of a card at the time. Nvidia was also one of the most competent companies when it came to driver support, especially in Linux. The hardware was always pretty damn solid with nary a lockup due to a stock clocked card in my experiences. ATI on the other hand at the time was a finicky beast for me, especially when VIA chipsets were involved.

In recent history however, Nvidia had been getting very low yields with their GPU's. That helps keep prices very high in an industry that fosters already high priced products in the first place. Especially these days where SLI has become the norm for the hardcore system builder. A while back ATI had conceded the high end market to Nvidia to focus on mid level product, and in a time of economic decline, that turned out to be a strong strategy for them. I know they really haven't stuck to mid level performance lately, but I do believe that strategy helped them avoid a possible financial disaster long-term as a company. Meanwhile Nvidia continued headstrong into manufacturing hardcore hardware for the gaming elite. Which, while I consider myself one of these hardware junkies, I realize I am in a great minority, and Nvidia should have as well.

Low yields, high manufacturing costs and a six month product cycle just doesn't seem practical in this bear market. I don't really understand their logic, and perhaps never will. My biggest fear if they indeed do fail, is a stagnant GPU market. Technology will continue to get better as always, but will it be at a snails pace? Competition breeds innovation, and if this indeed comes true, ATI will own the high end market alone.

Toad Gets All the Bitches!

Or perhaps he doesn't...